Benefits of Oranges


"Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food. Each one of the substances in a person's diet, acts upon the body and changes it in some unique way, and upon these changes the whole life depends, whether in health, in sickness or convalescent."  

Hippocrates 2 000 years ago.

The Health benefits of Oranges are legendary, not only is it rich in vitamins and minerals, but also protects the lens of the eye, the adrenal glands and the connective tissue of the body.

If you live in an Orange growing area (like I did) you will always remember the fragrance of orange blossoms scenting the whole area at the start of summer, such a wonderful smell of a tree producing a fruit with amazing health benefits.

So, what exactly are the benefits of oranges?  

Let's start off by listing the vitamins: C, B1, B2, B6, and Folic Acid.

Oranges also contain carotenes, potassium and calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, selenium and copper.




What is Hesperidin contained in Oranges?

Hesperidin is a flavonoid found in orange juice and  in the white pith under the skin of the orange peel. 

It has been found to have significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects which makes it very useful as a pain killer.

Hesperidin has also been linked to a reduction in diastolic blood pressure and high cholesterol after a few weeks of orange juice consumption.


What are Limonoids found in Oranges?

Oranges are rich in Vitamin C  but also offer another important yet lesser known nutritional bonus i.e citrus limonoids.

In laboratory tests with animals and with human cells, citrus limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin and lung and that they are effective at triggering the death of human colon cancer cells.

They also show substantial action against human breast cancer cells.



Benefits of Oranges and Vitamin C

The abundance of Vitamin C in oranges is also useful for lowering the risk of strokes, especially among men with high blood pressure and excessive weight issues.

Researchers cannot say for sure, but brain bleeds were more common among those with low levels of this vitamin.

A common myth around Vitamin C is that it prevents colds, which is not true, but it does appear to reduce the severity of colds and the recovery time.

Oranges and Eye Health

Oranges can help in combating and reducing the risk of Cataracts and Macular Degeneration.

So bring on the oranges which have other antioxidants such as Vitamin E which helps improve the health of your eye tissue.

Benefits of Oranges and Dietary Fiber

Oranges are rich sources of dietary fiber and a high fiber intake is beneficial for diabetics because it lowers blood lipid levels and improves control of blood sugar.



Risks of eating Oranges


Nothing is ever perfect is it?   The benefits of oranges are plenty but there are also some drawbacks.

And one of them is that if you are taking Beta-blockers for a heart disease you should rather consume Oranges in moderation because of the high potassium levels found in oranges.

Consuming too much potassium can also be harmful to those whose kidneys are not fully functional.

And then because of the acidic levels in oranges, they should also be taken in moderation for those suffering from GERD.

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